City Interested in Quality Design

[krulltime]

Well I didnt know where to put this story... But since this is about architecture then I though here will be a good bet (If someone wants to move this one somewhere else go ahead)


City Seeking Rich Designs Instead of the Lowest Bids


http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/08/13/arts/Design2583.jpg
A rendering of Prendergast Laurel's award-winning design for the new Kingsbridge library.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/08/13/arts/Design650.jpg
A rendering of STV Inc.'s prize-winning design for a new firehouse in Bushwick, Brooklyn.


By ROBIN POGREBIN
Published: August 13, 2005

It is still business as usual at the city's Department of Design and Construction. The agency remains in cavernous headquarters in what feels like the middle of nowhere in Long Island City, Queens. It continues to be determined to have the city's capital projects built on schedule and on budget.

But a new spirit is also informing the agency: a quickened interest in quality design.

Two rosters of approved architects have been drafted for city projects - a list of 24 for projects costing up to $10 million and one of 8 for plans with larger budgets (including prominent firms like Rafael Viñoly Architects, Arquitectonica and Polshek Partnership). Many, like Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, 1100 Architect and Gluckman Mayner Architects, have never done work for the department before.

Unlike architects used by the city in the past, they were selected primarily for the quality of their work rather than the competitiveness of their bids. Peer reviews in which outside architects subject designs to a rigorous critique used to be held only occasionally at the department; now they are an integral part of the development process and have been adopted by other agencies that oversee capital projects, like the Parks Department. Five design liaisons are now staff members of the design department, which for the first time in its history is being run by an architect, David J. Burney, who took over as commissioner in January 2004.

As a result, the city firehouses, courts, libraries and police stations that in recent decades were considered low-end, unglamorous assignments are now attracting a greater number of prominent architects. "It's definitely a new ballgame now, and I'm very excited about it," said David W. Prendergast of Prendergast Laurel Architects, which has designed a public library in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx for the city.

That there is a list of preferred architects might seem constrictive for some city institutions. But Mr. Burney emphasized that nonlisted architects could still be hired. Using the roster simply streamlines the process, because the architects have already been approved.

Frederic M. Bell, a former assistant commissioner at the agency who is now executive director of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects, credited Mr. Burney with fostering a creative climate at the department. "He's created an atmosphere where design matters and is not just an afterthought," he said, "bringing premier talent in the city to public commissions, working with smaller and design-oriented firms."

This new emphasis on architecture, design professionals say, comes from the top: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has made clear his interest in art and aesthetics, a position that has influenced the City Planning Department and the Art Commission, the city's design review agency. In July 2004, the mayor announced a "design and construction excellence initiative" for city agencies that established new ways of selecting and contracting with architects and design consultants to emphasize quality and talent.

"Our public works program should reflect New York City's status as a world-class city with projects that embody the highest standards in contemporary architectural and engineering design while respecting our city's historical context," Mr. Bloomberg said in his letter to agency commissioners last July.

Kate D. Levin, the cultural affairs commissioner, said the department's new standards had forced cultural organizations to aim higher with their capital projects. The Public Theater in the East Village, for example, which plans to build an ambitious new lobby and entrance, is considering Polshek for the project. Ms. Levin also cited the redesign of the Brooklyn Children's Museum in Crown Heights. The initiative's emphasis on partnership allows disagreements between the architects and construction management to be resolved through a team approach that includes museum officials.

"Lifting the bar on everything is putting really constructive pressure on all the players to have a better understanding of what they want to achieve," Ms. Levin said. "It's a 360-degree mandate from City Hall to look at how to make the end result better in every way."

Some architects might not be excited by the department's bread-and-butter projects, like pedestrian bridges, storm-water systems and recreation centers. But Mr. Burney insisted that the department could make a big impact on the city. "When you look at how much of infrastructure is publicly funded," he said, "it's a real legacy that you're leaving."

In the past, routine acceptance of the lowest competitive bid forced architects and designers into a fee competition. "A lot of firms wouldn't even participate in city work," Mr. Burney said.

Now the city has set a predetermined fee range for all services provided under a contract. The rosters of architects selected by the department submit proposals for specific projects. All firms are removed from the list after two years to make room for others, although architects can reapply.

Bruce S. Fowle of Fox & Fowle Architects, which is on the shortlist for bigger projects, said his firm had had a much better experience dealing with the design department under the new system. "It was difficult for us to compete on a fee basis," he said. "Now the evaluations are based more on qualifications. It's become much more appealing to us. We knew we were competing against people equally qualified."

Fox & Fowle is currently working on a new conservation center for the Bronx Zoo. "It's been going very well," Mr. Fowle said, adding, "You sense there is a culture of design excellence, which is not something you ever sensed before."

Architects who had never contracted for a department project suddenly want to work on one, people in the industry say. Of the 171 proposals the agency received for the smaller projects in the summer of 2004, 160 were from firms that had not done business with it before, the department said. (From that pool, 24 were selected.) For the large projects, the department received 137 proposals, of which 99 were from firms that had never previously contracted with the agency. (Eight were selected.)

Among the projects in the works are an expansion of the Queens Museum of Art (the team of Grimshaw Architects and Ammann & Whitney); a new Remsen Avenue repair facility in Canarsie, Brooklyn, for the Department of Environmental Protection (Kiss & Cathcart); and a new homeless center (Polshek Partnership).

Every year the Art Commission gives out awards to distinguished projects on city land. Of the eight 2004 winners, six were commissioned by the Department of Design and Construction.

They included the new Kingsbridge library branch on West 231st Street in the Bronx; a redesign of the Harriet Tubman Memorial Plaza at Frederick Douglass Boulevard and West 122nd Street in Harlem; an Engine Company 277 and Ladder Company 112 building at Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn; and the reconstruction of Louise Nevelson Plaza at Liberty Street, William Street and Maiden Lane in Lower Manhattan. All of the designs are on view through Aug. 28 at the Center for Architecture on LaGuardia Place in Greenwich Village.

At a recent peer review session for a new Glen Oaks Library in Queens, the two architects chosen - Karen Fairbanks and Scott Marble - presented their plans to other architects and design department staff members. The existing library, on Union Turnpike, is to be demolished and replaced by an 18,000-square-foot technologically advanced building. The experts in the room questioned whether the new glass and metal-mesh design needed to be three stories, how its eastern flank could be more fully developed and whether the proposed grass roof would prove as feasible logistically as it was aesthetically pleasing.

Jean Phifer, an architect at the session, said the library would be "really beautiful."

"It has that interesting tension between the urban and the suburban," she said.


Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

[stache]

This sounds too expensive to me. We need construction that is not costly to maintain.

[bkmonkey]

This sounds too expensive to me. We need construction that is not costly to maintain.

I dissagree, municipal buildings should add character to neighborhoods, not detract from them. These buildings prove that form and function can live together

[ablarc]

The names on that list represent a kind of tepid second echelon of excellence, void of genius; you could call it high mediocre. I'm not sure the extra cost of a project by one of these midi-stars is worth the additional money.

[Gulcrapek]

On occasion, some of those midstars put out pretty good work.


I think this s a very good direction for new city structures, following a good precedent set by the new-ish environmental standards.

[Kolbster]

On occasion, some of those midstars put out pretty good work.


I think this s a very good direction for new city structures, following a good precedent set by the new-ish environmental standards.

I agree

[Jake]

hehe, as sarcastic as I can possibly be: That library inspired me to read! That firehouse inspired me to start fires!

I've never been a big admirer of architecture of this type so I'd rather get a tax cut than this.

[BrooklynRider]

I support these types of projects. If we are going to try to convince developer's to move into some of these neighborhoods, it seems the city should show its commitment to them as well.

[sfenn1117]

They beat some hideous 60s municipal architecture......look at the Bay Ridge Library :eek: I'll try to get a pic of it, classic 60s ugly.

[elfgam]

hehe, as sarcastic as I can possibly be: That library inspired me to read! That firehouse inspired me to start fires!

I've never been a big admirer of architecture of this type so I'd rather get a tax cut than this.

It's this close-minded, simpleton attitude that is why cities like London, Hong Kong, Berlin, etc. are leaping ahead of us. It is CRUCIAL that the city of New York invest in quality design.

Investing in good architecture is ultimately a sign that a city is open to two key things: quality of life and culture. Cities like NY are competitive not because they are cheaper (taxes) but because they are where people want to be. A happening city with activties, beautiful streets, good architecture, quality services, etc. are a emblamatic of this. By leading, instead of following, the department of construction is signalling that NYC is progressive place to do business and be creative (read "The Creative Class" if you doubt me).

As for the cost problem: the city would best be served by following the European model: opening ALL projects, no matter how large or small, to open competitions to all licensed architects. Ultimately, instead of being based on ego, the winners will be those projects that are actually the best and can be built most easily and feasibly (as happens in Europe regularly). In general, small offices that are getting their big breaks in these kinds of competitions are also more ammenable to negotaiting more favorable terms of fees. besides, architect fees are a minor part of project costs... maybe it's those rotten contractors that we should be slamming, instead of architects trying to do good work.

[ablarc]

It is CRUCIAL that the city of New York invest in quality design.
No argument there, elfgam, but can't you spot the mediocrity in both images that accompany the article?

I agree we should invest in good quality architecture. The first step is to learn to recognize it.

[Ninjahedge]

I guess the key here is to do things a bit difefrently.

Raise the price that these things are slated to be constructed at, but also raise the bar as to what designs are accepted.


But form and function have to be the priority. You get a building that is beautiful, if it is impossible to maintain it will not be long before it is beautif-ley ugly.

Something that works does not always have to be an ugly concrete box.

[elfgam]

No argument there, elfgam, but can't you spot the mediocrity in both images that accompany the article?

I agree we should invest in good quality architecture. The first step is to learn to recognize it.

I think the prendergast laurel library is very well done -- to a very high level I might add. Notice the concrete wall that forms the backdrop, the highly articulated glass wall with the light framing behind it to create a sense of rhythym, the vertical volume that marks the building and also the point of entry (while evoking the classical notion of a bell tower, etc. to mark signifcant public buildings) and the folded concrete plane that together with the tower makes a strong entry statement. The relationship of the concrete/metal handrail back to the glass wall back to the concrete wall beyond creates a clear succession of layers that really make it an experience to penetrate the building -- yet despite this the extensive use of glass makes it feel very open and acessible, instead of heavy handed and academic.

The other building (the fire station) I'm not as fond of, personally, but you'd have to agree that it far outstrips your typical (and rather timid) city building which is 44 courses of brown brick covered by a sheet metal coping. It will have far more character than what NY usually condemns the outer boroughs with. Moreover, like any art, architecture do a certain degree is modified by personal taste. I might find the fire house project not that appealing (i sort of like it... but not too much), but i will admit that it is well thought out and at least generates a dialogue with me.

More importantly by using architects like this the city is leading by example. It raises the bar on the private sector, and also exposes people to more quality architecture so that when "YIPES!" a developer proposes something novel and modern for a neighborhood not everyone starts running for their guns.

[ablarc]

^ Oh, alright. ;) :)

[ZippyTheChimp]

Dept of Sanitation Garage
12th Ave, 55-57th St
http://www.nyc.gov/html/artcom/html/design_awards21_files/slide0026_image064.jpg http://www.nyc.gov/html/artcom/html/design_awards21_files/slide0028_image066.jpg http://www.nyc.gov/html/artcom/html/design_awards21_files/slide0030_image073.jpg


Sept 01, 2005

[NewYorkYankee]

I like it!

[ZippyTheChimp]

Dept of Sanitation garage
Feb 02, 2006
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/8364/dscgarage03c8pz.th.jpg (http://img132.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscgarage03c8pz.jpg) http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/3871/dscgarage04c8ft.th.jpg (http://img132.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscgarage04c8ft.jpg)

[elfgam]

Who designed this? It looks interesting (i just hope it doesn't suck once covered!)

[ZippyTheChimp]

http://www.nyc.gov/html/artcom/html/awards/awards_21.shtml

At the bottom, click on "See the Slideshow"

Scroll down the left column.

[antinimby]

Who designed this? It looks interesting (i just hope it doesn't suck once covered!)Don't worry, it looks good. Much better than some of the creations by "star" architects who would've given us a box with 4 blank walls.

[ablarc]

"star" architects who would've given us a box with 4 blank walls.
You sure?

[antinimby]

Yeah, you can say that. With all the lousy, unimaginative boxy designs we've gotten from them for luxury developments, you can't seriously expect them to give you something nice for a sanitation dept. building, would you?

[TLOZ Link5]

If the city sets a good architectural example, then perhaps private developers will be convinced to follow suit.

[ddjiii]

Reading this thread you would get the impression there are only two kinds of buildings, brilliant strokes of genius and crap. But in fact there is a crying need, especially in New York, for background buildings that work for whoever's inhabiting them, project dignity and quality for those who are walking by, and are not trying to get the attention of some architecture award jury. The city for too long has been trying to save money by putting up crap, without realizing the long term damage that does to the city. But we don't need libraries, firehouses and waste transfer stations to be gorgeous jewels, we just need them to look like somebody gives a damn. I think that's really important. To this day the classic prewar NYC public elementary school makes neighborhoods look good - the buildings just look like somebody thought they were an investment that was important.

[krulltime]

February 20, 2006:


http://i.pbase.com/o4/55/435155/1/56319679.IMG_7534.jpg

http://i.pbase.com/o4/55/435155/1/56319673.IMG_7533.jpg

[Kris]

http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/podcasts/innovation/innovation_04_04_06.htm

[Edward]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2101-2174040,00.html
The Sunday TimesMay 14, 2006
New York’s brave old world

European architects are behind Manhattan’s most dynamic building projects, says Hugh Pearman

I’m in a European cultural building. That’s obvious. The little details give it away: the delicate white-painted steelwork, the way the slender handrails are bolted directly onto the glass walls of the lifts, the confident juxtaposition of new with old. Where are we? Zurich? London? Neither. Look up and out of this great library and museum, and you see the Empire State Building.

We are, as the Morgan Library’s Italian architect, Renzo Piano, evocatively puts it, “swimming in Manhattan”. The library — one of the world’s finest collections of rare books, manuscripts and drawings — exists in a jumble of historic buildings on Madison Avenue, which Piano has juggled with enormous skill. He has used a generous budget of $106m to create a sunlit public concourse at ground level, as well as new galleries and a concert hall excavated deep into the bedrock below. It is very good: evidence that Piano is back on form. Bustling Manhattan is out there, but inside all is calm, in that Old World, mature high-tech manner.

Piano is only one of a jostling crowd of architects from Europe and points east now invading New York. Further north, on Eighth Avenue, the finishing touches are being put to the first modern skyscraper to be built by an Englishman in New York. The crinkle-crankle latticework of Norman Foster’s 42-storey Hearst Tower rises like a glittering concertina from the middle of the 1928 art deco HQ of the Hearst media empire. This is not just a Brit-designed skyscraper; it is, by local standards, a flagship low-energy “green” building on the European model, light on steel, heavy on recycled materials. Soon they will turn on the spectacular water cascade in the lobby, which will climate-control the building.

Manhattan’s media don’t just write about European architecture, they build it. Piano’s other big project there is the headquarters tower for The New York Times, now rising fast over the western fringe of the theatre district. While Foster’s Hearst Tower was commissioned shortly before 9/11, Piano’s New York Times tower was the first to be approved afterwards. It represented a vote of renewed confidence in the Manhattan skyline. Again, it has a relatively delicate level of detailing, unlike the brash heritage of skyscrapers in this town. Close up, the Empire State, the Chrysler Building and the Rockefeller Center are crude. Who cares? That toughness is part of their charm, and their main visual impact is from a distance. But the Eurotects are more used to designing buildings at fine resolution.

Piano and Foster aren’t the only overseas architects in town. Down near the World Trade Center, on Fulton Street, Nicholas Grimshaw is combining a maze of existing stations into one ambitious glass-domed transit interchange. In the centre of the site itself, Spain’s Santiago Calatrava is doing a differently glassy station, and a dizzying apartment tower at South Street, on the East River. That will be made of 12 four-storey cubes stacked up on masts. The ever-busy Foster has been signed up to do one of the cluster of new World Trade Center towers. So has our other leading architectural lord, Richard Rogers, who is also rebuilding the vast Jacob Javits Convention Center on the west side and masterplanning a chunk of waterfront.

Tramp the sidewalks long enough and you may bump into the black-clad, shaven-headed, burly figure of the French superstar architect Jean Nouvel, who is getting on nicely with his apartment block in the SoHo district. The ultra-modish Swiss pair Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, who gave us Tate Modern, are doing a hotel-and-apartment complex for the king of high-style accommodation, Ian Schrager. Arguably, Schrager got this European frenzy rolling with his early, enthusiastic espousal of France’s Philippe Starck years back, but he has grown out of Starck’s Tiggerishly mischievous style. Schrager is also working with the British minimalist John Pawson.

Our own Zaha Hadid is getting the honour of an exhibition devoted to her at the Guggenheim, starting next month. Since she is already building elsewhere in America, New York projects will surely follow. This follows a show on contemporary Spanish architecture staged by MoMA.

You have to ask: why is New York, with its heritage of superb architecture, looking across the Atlantic for its next generation of landmarks? It’s only a leavening — most building in New York will continue to be done by Americans — but such leavenings make all the difference. Two things have changed since, say, the 1990s. The first is that the city’s planning regime has got keen on European ideas of urbanism and is putting the emphasis on quality. The second is that the all-powerful development lobby in the city, so long mired in stagnation, has become a little starstruck and regards design quality as a powerful sales tool. Sheer floor space, even location, is no longer enough: added design value is now the mantra. The seemingly sophisticated Europeans, with their expressive architecture, provide the necessary sales impetus. And space for new buildings can always be made, even in confined Manhattan. On the west side, a long- derelict elevated goods railway, the High Line, is going to be turned into a linear park. That is good in itself, but the development that will be unlocked by the High Line as property values around it soar is something else. A mini-boom is pending.

Although things were already starting to change, there is no doubt that the events of 9/11 had a fundamental effect on the way the city sees itself. The soul-searching that followed, the competitions and squabbles over the Ground Zero site, in a way gave the city permission to change. The one name I’ve not mentioned so far is the catalytic one of Daniel Libeskind, who won the competition for the Ground Zero masterplan, moved to New York from Berlin and was gradually sidelined. Even the self-promoting Libeskind can’t claim credit for all of this. But there’s enough evidence to suggest that, once he’d jammed his foot in the door, everyone else shouldered their way through.

Copyright 2006 Times Newspapers Ltd.

[Fabrizio]

Why do Europeans do such beautiful work? Because they are USED to working with the community, are used to being held to high standards of design and build quality.... are used to building contextualy... are used to working in historic districts... all of the things that some Americans claim stifle "creativity".

[Kris]

Is that the formula that makes Tuscany such a renowned place for quality contemporary design?

[Fabrizio]

Yes, I think so. I´m happy that you´re aware of the terrific modern architecture here and that Tuscany it is renowed for quality contemporary design.

[Kris]

You should illustrate this by creating a thread in the World section presenting Tuscan projects. You could title it "Lessons of Good Taste from Europe."

[Fabrizio]

Uh...Kris....what´s your point?

[MidtownGuy]

Fabrizio, I've never been to Tuscany, though I have hovered over it countless times on GoogleEarth. Do you have a digital camera? I would be so excited to see some photos of the 'hood :)
Are there any contemporary homes being built, or are they all of the ancient variety?

[Fabrizio]

For the record: First of all, I pretty much wanted to ignore this thread after Kris´ uncalled for, snot-nose comments.... what stupidity.

My original post adresses the article posted by Edward...and is in agreement with what is written. I gave my take on why I think European architects have the qualities the article describes.

------------------------------------------------------------

Midtown: You ask about homes: funny, as I write it´s late in the night here and I´m working on photographs and renderings of new, strikingly modern apartments in Florence.... that have have been built from a gutted warehouse.

There are beautiful modern homes being built.... you might want to try the great Italian architecture magazines like L´Arca, Abitare , Domus (on newstands since 1928), Ottagano.... to see what´s happening.

http://www.abitare.it/
http://www.ottagono.com/

[MidtownGuy]

Thanks Fabrizio, I'll be sure to have a look.

[Kris]

Snot-nose? Rich coming from you! Haughty dismissal seems to be your automatic reaction whenever you're provoked. Very impressive.

Europe is vast and diverse and good architecture here, as everywhere, is the exception. The region you pontificate from is reputed to be a glorious backwater, and that certainly was my impression when I visited Florence. What approach to development are you referring to, your local one? How much creativity does it foster or allow? (I'm not talking about tasteful conversions...) Where I live (Geneva) community involvement is mostly limited to public projects, which in this direct democracy are generally voted down when they are too ambitious.

Do today's European centers of excellence have conservative restrictions and disruptive community intervention, or rather bold leadership that pushes visions forward? Looking at Barcelona and London, it seems to be the latter.

[Fabrizio]

Midtown:

You ask if I have a digital... I have a trusty fuji S2...a pain to haul around, so I rarely find myself taking quick snapshots...I need a good compact. There are a number of developments here that I´d love to photograph and post.... and hope to get around to it now that the weather is good. Know too that because my area of the world is so historic.... contemporary design expresses it´s self more easily in interior design, industrial design, furniture design and fashion..... Italy and Tuscany´s strong point. Architects here will often work in these various disciplines ...and the results are interesting.

[Fabrizio]

Kris writes:

"Snot-nose? Rich coming from you! Haughty dismissal seems to be your automatic reaction whenever you're provoked. Very impressive."

------

Listen Kris: How else could I describe your comments? Actually, "Snot nose" is too polite. And BTW: Please post my "haughty dismisals"... I would be interested to see them.

Futhermore:

Although I made no reference to Italy or Tuscany (for gosh sakes) in my post to the article posted by Edward....out-of-the-blue you come up with the follwing nasty comment:

"Is that the formula that makes Tuscany such a renowned place for quality contemporary design?"

Notice that you don´t say "architecture".... you say "quality contemporary design".

Mmmmmm....OK, dear Kris...I´ll take you on:

"Quality contemporary design" in Tuscany? Well....Gucci and Prada... recogonized as the most powerful and influential fashion houses in the entire world of the last 10 years are headquartered here..... rather amazing for such a "glorious backwater".... So are Emilio Pucci, Ferragamo, Roberto Cavalli... among other premier names.

Funny that NY´s FIT .....America´s most important school of fashion design, chose Florence as their only foreign campus. The result is one of the most prestigious fashion schools in Europe. Now, why would they have chosen such a "backwater"?

This "contemporary design backwater" hosts Pitti Uomo....third place in the world for the men´s fashion collections, after Milan and Paris.

How about furniture design? Take a spin around Milan´s furniture fair to see the great Tuscan names in modern design. One of my favorites:

Edra: http://www.edra.com/album.asp?l=it

Industrial design? How about Piaggio?

http://www.it.piaggio.com/_vti_g1_prod.asp?brand=PIAGGIO&country=IT&language=I

Or how about Ansaldobreda...whose design studios are in my home town. They design and furnish public transportation, busses and trains to cities like Washington, Seattle... and high speed trains throughout Europe:

http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/it/electric/emu/ETR500/dual/Eurailspeed/pix.html

Architecture? Wonderful modern architecture....and I´ll make the claim that any small town here bosts MORE quality modern architecture compared to sizable American towns.


----------------------

Also you state:

"The region you pontificate from is reputed to be a glorious backwater,"

"The region you "pontificate" from"?

Again with the sour, nasty personal comments...which only reveal you as a troll.... is that your job as a "moderator"?

If you have a problem with me bud, address it directly.... otherwise you´re a coward.

But most importantly....why such a bitter....angry...... outburst... to an article that I simply agreed with. Adress the article if you want to ....and spare us your childish tantrums.

----------------------

[antinimby]

If you have a problem with me bud, address it directly.... otherwise you´re a coward.Looked pretty direct to me.


But most importantly....why such a bitter....angry...... outburst... to an article that I simply agreed with. Adress the article if you want to ....and spare us your childish tantrums.----------------------Actually Fabrizio, you did make what I regarded as a somewhat condescending remark. Kris just wanted you to back up your comment. You jumped the gun and got offended right off the bat.
I can't imagine Europe or even Italy for that matter don't have their fair share of duds.

[Fabrizio]

Antinimby: you´ve given me a reason to slack-off. Let´s see if I can get this out in 10 minutes....excuse any typos and missed grammar:


Follow along:

1 - Edward posts an article from the NYtimes with the subtitle: "European architects are behind Manhattan’s most dynamic building projects"

Note that it doesn´t say: "European architects are behind "SOME" of Manhattan most dynamic building projects but that: "EUROPEANS are behind Manhattan´s most dynamic building projects".

So if there are any "condescending" remarks, they start with the headline of the article posted by Edward.

So let´s critize Edward for posting it... let´s criticize the author. Let´s give our own opinions of why the article is full of bunk... if we feel that´s the case.

2 - And if the headline is condescending, the article is just begining: the author describes his feelings of being inside the Morgan.... a very American institution.... by saying:

"I’m in a European cultural building. That’s obvious. The little details give it away...."

This must be, "Zurich? London?" ....infering that such a fine building could not possibly be in America, of all places.

After all....look at the build quality, it MUST be Europe:

"The little details give it away: the delicate white-painted steelwork, the way the slender handrails are bolted directly onto the glass walls of the lifts, the CONFIDENT JUXTAPOSITION OF NEW WITH OLD."

Not until seeing the Empire State Building out the window is the spell broken. Surprise....we´re in the US.

Condescending? Well....the article wasn´t written by me.

3 - My response? I agreed with Edwards post.... with the contents of the article. I respond by posing question: "Why do Europeans do such beautiful work?".

I think it´s "because they are USED to working with the community"

(in fact if you think the communities in the US are tough...try Europe.)

I think it´s because they "are used to being held to high standards of design and build quality"

(Refering back to those "delicate white-painted steelwork, the way the slender handrails are bolted directly onto the glass walls of the lifts" ...that the authour noted. I , like the author of the article, find these small details and overall build quality better in Europe.)

And I think it´s because they: "are used to building contextualy... are used to working in historic districts".

(refering back to the author noting the: "confident juxtaposition of new with old.")

4 - I end by saying: "all of the things that some Americans claim stifle "creativity".

Well?

-------------

5 - So that was my response to Edwards post. I agreed with the article. I think the autor is right. That´s my opinion.

Now: what´s yours?

6- Kris, instead of adressing the article.... and disagreeing with it.... disagreeing with my response and perhaps telling Edward that the article is "condesending" comes in with this:

"Is that the formula that makes Tuscany such a renowned place for quality contemporary design?"

An odd responce... no? What in the world does Tuscany have to do with anything? Although I assumed that Kris was being sarcastic and bitchy.... I let him off the hook by replying:

"Yes, I think so. I´m happy that you´re aware of the terrific modern architecture here and that Tuscany is renowed for quality contemporary design."

^^^That´s what a gentleman does Antinimby.

7 -Kris´ response?:

"You should illustrate this by creating a thread in the World section presenting Tuscan projects. You could title it "Lessons of Good Taste from Europe."

^^^so....you tell me Antinimby...

8 -So now we have your remarks:

"Actually Fabrizio, you did make what I regarded as a somewhat condescending remark."

Could you identify my "condesending" remark?

"Kris just wanted you to back up your comment."

Where?

"You jumped the gun and got offended right off the bat."

????

[Kris]

Fabrizio, why do you have to waste my time by misreading and playing with words? And why the insults? Is this discussion making you so uncomfortable that you'd rather lead yourself into a dead end?

Notice the thread's title. I inserted "contemporary" between the last two words. Given the context, it's hard to mistake the specific discipline and in your following post you apparently understood:

I´m happy that you´re aware of the terrific modern architecture here and that Tuscany it is renowed for quality contemporary design.

What happened afterwards? Did you just want to show off that list? It's quite a display of vanity but I'm interested in architecture, which is by far the weakest and vaguest item on your list.

Also you state:

"The region you pontificate from is reputed to be a glorious backwater,"

"The region you "pontificate" from"?

Again with the sour, nasty personal comments...which only reveal you as a troll.... is that your job as a "moderator"?

If you have a problem with me bud, address it directly.... otherwise you´re a coward.

But most importantly....why such a bitter....angry...... outburst... to an article that I simply agreed with. Adress the article if you want to ....and spare us your childish tantrums.

You can mischaracterize my posts but in doing so your own language becomes excessive, insulting and crosses the line. I warned you last time.

Your strategy of course is to pretend you're the victim of a vicious personal attack from an out-of-control moderator in order to ignore my point, which is easy to grasp if you actually read. Obviously, I wasn't addressing the article (with which I mostly agree) but your commentary:

Why do Europeans do such beautiful work? Because they are USED to working with the community, are used to being held to high standards of design and build quality.... are used to building contextualy... are used to working in historic districts... all of the things that some Americans claim stifle "creativity".

I live in Europe and don't see the reality you describe, which is why I provoked you - to find out whether it's a local one or a complete invention. I told you how where I live the situation is different, and how it seems even more the case in cities that could serve as models for New York. Either you're extrapolating your parochial experience or just making stuff up in order to create a myth that supports your conception.

You seem unable to respond in an honest and civil manner when your views are challenged. Give it another try - but hurry up, because if you don't retract your insults you should be taking a forced break shortly.

[tmg]

Kris, your posts were insulting and inappropriate. Ban me too if you wish.

[ablarc]

Peace, fellas, please.

Time to bury the hatchet.

You were both a bit confrontational, imo.

Must be something in that European air...

[Kris]

It's the Battle of the Eurosnots.

Kris, your posts were insulting and inappropriate. Ban me too if you wish.

You want to be banned in support? I'm afraid that's impossible.

[ablarc]

Looks like Fabrizio's finally out of jail.

Welcome back, Fabrizio!

(That is, if you come back.)

[ablarc]

You want to be banned in support? I'm afraid that's impossible.
In the Islamic world, does that get you directly into heaven?

[krulltime]

Who Wants to Be a Working-Class Housing Designer?


By JANNY SCOTT
Published: June 11, 2006

In an effort to bring better design to working-class housing, the Bloomberg administration and an architects' group are to announce today a competition to pick an architect and a developer to build an apartment complex on vacant city-owned land in the South Bronx.

Sponsored by the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the competition is said to be the first of its kind in the city. It is intended to produce a building that is innovative in its design, environmentally friendly, financially viable and replicable by others.

The criteria to be used by the jury of architects, developers and city officials that will select the winning plan will put a premium on design quality, affordability and factors like energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources. Then the city will give the winning team the site, a 40,000-square-foot former railyard, for about a dollar a lot for the two lots involved.

"We want to create an exemplary model that could not just put in place the best standards of design being used elsewhere but could actually create new standards for design going forward," said Shaun Donovan, commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, who was himself trained as an architect.

The city condemned the site, at Brook Avenue and East 156th Street, in an urban renewal program in 1972. It is among the last remaining large tracts of vacant city-owned land.

An abandoned rail line runs through it; the soil and groundwater may be contaminated. It is northeast of the Hub, the third largest shopping district in the Bronx and a neighborhood that is reviving after decades in decline.

The building is to include as many as 150 apartments on the upper floors with commercial and community facilities at ground level. The aim is to produce apartments for people with a range of incomes, from low-income units to those at market rate. The architect-developer teams are encouraged to propose a mix of public subsidy programs and private financing.

Karen Kubey, another architect and co-chairwoman of the steering committee of New Housing New York, the group that organized the competition, said, "We're saying that good design shouldn't be just for rich people but for everyone. What can we do to make design affordable and sustainable?"

Architects said proposals could include design elements like open staircases that encourage residents to climb rather than ride elevators; "green" features like photovoltaic electrical generation and bamboo floors instead of hardwood, and the use of paints and carpeting that do not contribute to indoor air pollution.

As for the price, Mr. Donovan said good design "doesn't necessarily mean higher costs."

Mark Ginsberg, an architect on the steering committee, said that even if a building ended up costing a little more than it would have otherwise, its "lifetime energy cost" — the cost to operate the building — might be less.

Juried design competitions are not uncommon for museums and other cultural institutions; and architects like Le Corbusier informed early visions of public housing. But the practice of hiring visionary designers for low-income housing, architects say, fell out of favor in the United States as public housing projects came to be seen as a failure.

In 2004, the New York City Council, the local American Institute of Architects chapter and the City University of New York sponsored a competition to elicit ideas for quality low- and moderate-income housing. That competition produced ideas but no buildings. The new competition is intended to produce a building that might serve as a prototype.

The initiative comes at a time when the city is facing a shortage of low- and moderate-income housing. The population is growing, land is scarce and real estate values remain high. As a result, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has vowed to create or preserve 165,000 low- and moderate-income units by 2013.

"A design competition is often a question of picking the best and the brightest, not just the low bidder," said Fredric Bell, executive director of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects and a former official in the city's Department of Design and Construction. "The mechanisms by which architects are selected by competition can generate some very exciting ideas."

The competition will include two parts. First, teams of architects, developers and contractors will submit their qualifications. Then the 10-member jury will chose half a dozen teams, each of which will receive a stipend to help cover the cost of preparing a full proposal. The jury is to select the winner this fall.


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

[ablarc]

How will they decide if you're working class?

[lofter1]

It seems that the term "wroking class" was added by the NY Times..

The HPD (http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/developers/rfp.shtml) website info doesn't use that term ...

HPD and NHNY Request for Proposals for Mixed-Used Development Opportunity in the South Bronx

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), working with the New Housing New York (NHNY) Steering Committee is pleased to solicit qualifications from architect-developer teams for the NHNY Legacy Project, a mixed-use, mixed-income project on a City-owned site in the South Bronx. The Legacy Project aims to explore new forms of affordable housing design for a 40,000 SF site in the Bronxchester Urban Renewal Area (URA) in the South Bronx, located just northeast of “The Hub”. The Site also includes 20,000 SF of air rights over an adjacent abandoned railroad line that is privately owned.

The development will include commercial and/or community space on the ground floor with residential uses above. Proposals will be evaluated based on how well they integrate affordable housing, sustainable living and healthy living elements into the development. The housing component should target families with mixed incomes through either homeownership opportunities or rental housing. A minimum of 20% of the units must be affordable to families at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) as determined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Proposals that maximize affordability with the least amount of subsidy will be given preference. Proposals will also be required to meet or exceed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating and comply with the NYSERDA Multi-Family Highrise Energy Star Simulation Guidelines.

The Request for Proposals (RFP) is organized as a two-step, juried design competition: in Step 1, Respondents are asked to submit qualifications, and in Step 2, up to five teams selected from Step 1 will submit full development proposals. HPD will enter into negotiations with the Finalist Team chosen by the jury in Step 2 to work toward disposition of the Site through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). The submissions of qualifications for Step 1 are due on July 24, 2006, no later than 4:00PM. The proposals from up to five invited finalist teams are due on December 1, 2006, no later than 4:00PM

Click here to download the RFP (http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/miscellaneous/legacy-rfp.shtml)

[ZippyTheChimp]

DSNY garage at W57th

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/7461/dscgarage05cbx5.th.jpg (http://img101.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscgarage05cbx5.jpg)

[LeCom]

That's truly an altruistic move by the city, but there is also something called city budget. If extra money goes into federal architecture, this money must come out of somewhere else - possibly a school, or purchasing new equipment for that very fire station in Bushwick, etc.

Don't mean to sound like a run-of-the-mill nimby, but everything, especially city budgets, need to be in moderation.

[tmg]

The New York Times
Manhattan: City Names Design Chief

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 30, 2007

Amanda M. Burden, the city planning director, said yesterday that Alexandros E. Washburn would assume the newly revived post of urban design director for the Department of City Planning. Mr. Washburn, 44, is a principal in W Architecture and Landscape Architecture, a Chelsea firm. From 1996 to 2000, he was president of the Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Corporation, the state agency charged with expanding the station into the General Post Office on the west side of Eighth Avenue. Now, Mr. Washburn will help evaluate the design of a new station and proposed commercial development on the east side of the avenue. Ms. Burden also named Thomas Wargo as zoning director. He was formerly a deputy director for zoning and urban design.